Built for the Rough. Designed for Burr Defense.
Ask a group of hunters about the worst part of a day in the field, and you'll hear plenty of stories about weather, missed shots, and long walks back to the truck.
Ask them about burrs, and you'll probably get a laugh.
Most hunters see burrs as part of the experience. An inconvenience. A cleanup chore. Something you deal with after the hunt.
But for hunting dogs, burrs are more than a nuisance.
They're one of the most common—and most overlooked—hazards in the field.
At FieldSkin, burr defense isn't just a product feature. It's the problem that started everything.
What Exactly Are Burrs?
Burrs are seed pods designed by nature to hitch a ride.
Plants like cockleburs, beggar's lice, sticktights, and burdock evolved to attach themselves to animals so they can spread to new areas.
Unfortunately, hunting dogs make the perfect transportation system.
As dogs move through fields, grasslands, marsh edges, and brushy cover, burrs latch onto:
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Fur
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Ears
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Armpits
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Bellies
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Legs
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Tails
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Toes
And once they attach, they rarely stop at the surface.
The Problem Isn't What You See
Most hunters notice the burrs stuck to the outside of the coat.
The real problem is what happens underneath.
As dogs run, jump, and push through cover, burrs work deeper into the fur. They twist, tighten, and press against the skin.
Over time, this can lead to:
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Skin irritation
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Painful pressure points
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Matting
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Hot spots
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Inflammation
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Small wounds and abrasions
Some burrs can become so deeply embedded that removing them requires cutting or shaving sections of the coat.
What begins as a few burrs can quickly become a much larger problem.
Why Hunting Dogs Keep Going Anyway
One of the reasons burr injuries are so common is that hunting dogs rarely stop working.
The dogs we depend on most are often the least likely to show discomfort.
A driven retriever will continue making retrieves.
A pointing dog will continue searching cover.
A flushing dog will keep pushing brush.
They're doing exactly what they were bred to do.
Meanwhile, burrs continue working deeper into the coat.
Many owners don't realize the extent of the problem until they return home and begin cleanup.
By then, irritation and discomfort may have been building for hours.
The Hidden Cost of Burrs
Most hunters think about the time required to remove burrs. Few think about the broader impact.
Anyone who has spent an evening pulling hundreds of burrs from a dog's coat knows the process can take hours.
But the real cost often includes:
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Missed training days
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Reduced field performance
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Skin irritation
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Veterinary visits
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Damaged coats
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Frustration for both dog and owner
For long-haired breeds especially, severe burr infestations can become a recurring issue throughout the season.
And every hunt starts with the question: "How bad will it be this time?"
Certain Dogs Face Greater Risk
Every hunting dog encounters burrs. Some dogs simply collect more of them.
Breeds with longer coats often experience the greatest challenges, including:
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Golden Retrievers
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Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
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Setters
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Spaniels
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Long-haired pointing breeds
Their coats help protect them from weather and cold water, but they can also create ideal conditions for burrs to accumulate.
That doesn't mean short-haired breeds are immune.
Labs, pointers, and other short-coated dogs still experience irritation, cuts, and abrasions when burrs become trapped against the skin.
Why Traditional Solutions Fall Short
Hunters have developed plenty of ways to deal with burrs.
Some spend hours combing them out. Some trim coats. Some avoid certain cover entirely. Some simply accept it as part of hunting.
The challenge is that most solutions occur after the damage has already happened.
They're reactive. Not preventive.
Imagine if hunters waited until after a hunt to put on boots. Or gloves. Or brush pants.
Protection works best before exposure occurs.
The same principle applies to dogs.
A Better Approach: Burr Defense
At FieldSkin, we believe the best burr removal strategy is preventing burrs from reaching the coat in the first place.
That's the idea behind Burr Defense.
Not simply removing burrs. Reducing exposure before they become a problem.
By creating a barrier between the dog and the environment, protective gear can help limit contact with:
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Cockleburs
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Sticktights
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Beggar's lice
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Thorny vegetation
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Abrasive brush
The goal isn't to eliminate every burr.
It's to dramatically reduce the number that make it home.
The Inspiration Behind FieldSkin
FieldSkin exists because of a hunting dog named May.
During a hunt, May became covered in burrs that worked deep into her coat and against her skin.
She wasn't refusing to work. She was hurting.
Watching his dog struggle, founder Ben Fields realized there wasn't a true solution available.
Hunters had technical gear designed for harsh environments.
Dogs didn't.
That moment led to years of development, testing, and refinement focused on one mission:
Protecting dogs from the realities of rough terrain.
Including one of the most common hazards in the field.
Burrs.
Built for the Rough
The hunting community has accepted burrs for generations.
Maybe it's time we stop thinking about them as "just part of the hunt."
Because for dogs, they're more than an inconvenience.
They're a preventable source of pain, irritation, and lost time in the field.
The dogs that charge into cover without hesitation deserve protection designed specifically for the challenges they face.
That's what Burr Defense is all about.
And that's why FieldSkin was built for the rough.
